Sutton Park in Sutton, St.Helens
A much loved twenty acre green oasis in Sutton!
Sutton Park Photo-Album | Slideshow Version | LocationSUTTON PARK is situated between Robins Lane, Marshalls Cross Road and Marina Avenue and is the oldest public park in Sutton, St.Helens. Measuring just over twenty acres, Sutton Park is only one-tenth the size of its near neighbour, Sherdley Park, on the opposite side of Marshalls Cross Road. Despite its more compact size, there is much local affection for the historic little parkland and as of 2010, through the sterling efforts of the Friends of Sutton Park and St.Helens Council, many improvements are taking place.
Like Sherdley Park, the land that these days comprises Sutton Park, was originally owned by the Hughes family as part of their Sherdley Estate. For 150 years until WWII, the three Michael Hughes of Sherdley Hall were the major landowners in the Sutton district. The last in the line, Colonel Hughes, enabled the creation of Sutton Park on May 9th, 1903 when he penned his name to an agreement to sell some of his land to St.Helens Corporation for £2,628.
Hughes insisted on a clause in the document that stipulated that entrance gates would be constructed for the new park which would:
...be of a handsome type with pillars of stone of a massive character and be maintained as such forever...
The stone pillars at the Sutton Park entrance at the corner of Marshalls Cross Road and Robins Lane - we get an
impression of what the original gates and railings were like from an old postcard picture - click here for a drawing
It was also important to Michael Hughes, who was renowned for his old fashioned values, that the character of the area would not be affected by certain park activities. So he insisted that a restrictive covenant should be inserted in the agreement that barred the use of "steam-driven merry-go rounds and whistles". Although these days that sounds somewhat amusing, there were many complaints in Hughes's day of the use of noisy barrel organs and other musical entertainments that were often performed late at night by travelling show folk in the Peckershill Road / Robins Lane area of Sutton (see here)
As Sherdley Park was in private hands and not automatically accessible to the public, large numbers of Suttoners embraced Sutton Park enthusiastically, especially on Sundays and on some summer evenings when regular band concerts took place. A lodge, drinking fountain, bandstand and bowling greens were incorporated soon after the park opened and hard courts were added about 1924.
Colonel Hughes' wishes have been maintained throughout the years and Sutton Park is still essentially a quiet, open area where one can walk the dog, exercise, play a bit of cricket (see header picture), or simply relax. There’s adequate seating plus facilities for children and young people including swings and hard court.
ßThe glacier boulder at the Marina Avenue entrance is said to be between 10-50,000 years old
Sutton Park's most notable feature is the glacier boulder at the Marina Avenue entrance which is believed to be between 10,000 - 50,000 years old. During the last ice age it was brought down from the Lake District (or possibly Scotland) by ice glaciers. It’s one of two such stones in Sutton, the other being in Dale Crescent in Sutton Leach by the passage leading to Mill Lane. However, in the late Frank Bamber's memoirs, 'Clog Clatters of Old Sutton'. he argues that it is, in fact, a twelfth century boundary stone known as the Harston. Somewhat surprisingly, the glacier boulder or 'Harston' is not a listed structure.
The beauty of snow - Sutton Park photographed on January 5th, 2010
Despite its compactness, Sutton Park is much loved by locals. In January 2007 St Helens Hospital applied for planning permission to convert a substantial part of Sutton Park into a temporary car park for the workmen employed on the new £100 million hospital build nearby. This would have accommodated 421 vehicles for a period of 18 months.
Within a matter of days the proposals were shelved after strong protests by the local community, demonstrating Sutton Park's importance to their environment. The St.Helens Star in its report on the protests entitled 'People Power' referred to Sutton Park as a"green oasis". They were not wrong!
Enjoying a picnic in Sutton Park - photographed in August 2009
A Friends of Sutton Park group was formed in July 2007 as a direct result of the local community coming together to fight the car park proposals. Their aim is to improve the amenities in Sutton Park and they've been successful in obtaining funding from the Sutton Ward Committee's Environmental Fund and St.Helens Council's Community Spaces Fund. Bulb planting with children from Robins Lane Primary School took place in October 2007 and a 10' high noticeboard / sign was installed in March 2008.
Considerable improvements are planned for 2010 which are set to include a youth shelter, adult fitness stations (to be located near the bowling greens), cycle path, improvements to existing pathways and better seating, plus more litter bins and dog bins. An older children's play area will include a hurricane, cableway and pendulum swing. There will also be a new wildflower meadow and restocking of the shrub areas on the perimeter of the park with low shrubs and native species that will enhance existing borders.
A new youth shelter in Sutton Park located next to the hardcourt
Artwork has been installed in February 2010 near to the main Sutton Park entrance which has been designed and made by groups of local adults and children to celebrate the history of St.Helens. The groups have worked with renowned artist Bernadette Hughes and the images and text used in the sculpture have also been used in a board game, 'Coggin’ On', produced by the groups.
Bernadette has inspired and encouraged many individuals in Sutton and St.Helens to engage with art and has personally created artwork at the Millennium Centre and the Citadel Arts Centre in the town centre. A heritage art trail is soon set to be installed at Sutton Manor near Dream that has been designed by Sutton Manor Primary schoolchildren who worked with Bernadette in 2007.
The Friends group also run a number of events in the park which are supported by St.Helens Council, including Easter Egg Hunts and Family Fun Days.
Sutton Park artwork based on the history of St.Helens - supported by Heritage Lottery and Helena Homes
More On This Website About Sutton Park:
Heritage: Enjoying the Parks of Sutton;
Beauty Blog Posts: Save Sutton Park (23/1/2007); Sutton Park Saved! (25/1/2007); 'Friends of Sutton Park' - Friends Indeed! (16/3/2008);
Contact Details: Friends of Sutton Park: 07502 101271; Email; Website;
St.Helens Council Community Parks Development Officer: 01744 671783
Header picture: Youngsters playing cricket in Sutton Park
Sutton Park Photo-Album | Flash Slideshow
Location Information | Research Sources
Sutton Beauty & Heritage strives for factual accuracy at all times. Please do also contact me if you believe there are any errors, with details of all corrections contained within the site's update history page, which also details the regular updates. If you have any further Sutton information or photographs that you would like to share in this project, I would be delighted to hear from you. This website always credits any assistance given. I respond quickly to all emails and if you haven't received a response within 12 hours, do check your junk mail folder. Thank you! SRW
